Trump administration intensifies efforts to trace Antifa funding sources

The Trump administration is stepping up efforts to track the funding behind Antifa and other protest movements, pursuing what officials describe as a coordinated campaign to expose nonprofit and dark money networks they believe are fueling organized unrest across the country.

President Donald Trump hosted a roundtable at the White House on Wednesday with independent journalists who have experienced Antifa violence firsthand, as part of his administration’s broader push to confront domestic unrest.

Among those in attendance was Seamus Brunner, director of research at the government Accountability Institute, who said the “whole of government” management approach was now being fully implemented.

“President Trump takes this very seriously,” Brunner said, noting that the president has stressed the need to follow the money to officials including Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and FBI Director Kash Patel.

Trump calls Antifa a “terrorist group” for fueling fights over free speech and the limits of law enforcement

Detecting Antifa would require tracking its finances, he said.

“It’s not just Antifa, there’s a whole ecosystem of radical and professional protest organizations,” he said, describing what he calls “Riot Inc.” As a corporate-style operation with departments for field work, marketing, public relations and legal support.

Brunner also pointed to networks of bail funds that allegedly enable repeat offenders to return to protests. He pointed to GAI investigations showing coordination across cities like Portland, Seattle and Chicago, including paid and relocated individuals, including the homeless, being exploited to participate in unrest.

NOEM likens Antifa to ISIS and other terrorist groups that want to “kill” Americans

President Donald Trump designated Antifa a domestic terrorist organization under an executive order issued in September 2025. (Diego Diaz/Sportswire Icon via Getty Images)

He pointed to major funding sources, including billionaire George Soros’s Open Society Foundations, the Tides Foundation, and foreign donors such as Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wiess.

To limit funding for the unrest, he said federal authorities could use RICO laws to target networks and urge the IRS and Office of Management and Budget to review or revoke the tax-exempt status of nonprofits that misuse charitable funds.

If those agencies find that funding supports criminal activity, they can force organizations to open their books and justify their grants, Brunner said.

Trump designates Antifa a “major terrorist organization”

Members of the Communist Party USA and other anti-fascist groups burn the American flag on the steps of the Colorado State Capitol on January 20, 2021, in Denver, Colorado (Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)

“They can absolutely cancel any future grants if they deem the charitable purposes to be less than charitable,” he added, noting that more than $100 million in taxpayer money flowed through major networks linked to protest activities.

The roundtable followed Trump’s order to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, as part of the administration’s broader efforts to reduce crime and illegal immigration — a move that was temporarily blocked by a federal judge on Sunday.

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Antifa is a far-left militant movement that describes itself as anti-fascist. She has been accused of organizing or encouraging violent riots, most notably during the 2020 “Defund the Police” protests and, more recently, in attacks targeting federal immigration facilities.

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.